Arabica Coffee Bean Varieties: What Substances Determine Coffee Aroma?

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Arabica Coffee Varieties and Aroma Sources

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Arabica offers elegant flavors and is the mainstay of specialty coffee, which is the focus of this article. Robusta, also known as robusta beans, has rough flavors and caffeine content more than twice that of Arabica, and does not belong to the specialty coffee category.

The ancient native Arabica species can be divided into two major types: Typica from Ethiopia and Bourbon from Yemen.

Typica

Typica is the oldest native variety from Ethiopia, hence Arabica is said to derive from it. It offers elegant flavors but has weak physical constitution, is susceptible to leaf rust disease, and doesn't produce abundant yields, making it economically inefficient. The beans are slender and pointed in shape. It's simply the Lin Daiyu of the coffee world!

Bourbon

Bourbon stands alongside Typica as an ancient, excellent variety. It can be further divided into "Round Bourbon" and "Pointed Bourbon." Round Bourbon has vigorous vitality, unlike the frail and sickly Typica. Round Bourbon's resistance to leaf rust is superior to Typica, and its flavor is no less impressive. The drawback is that the coffee tree needs to rest for a year after fruiting. (Indeed, conserving energy is essential.)

However, Arabica can actually be subdivided into many subspecies. Just like humans have different races - yellow, white, black, and brown - there are differences between these subspecies. For example, Caucasians are generally taller than Asians, while black people have superior explosive athletic abilities compared to other races. Similarly, different Arabica subspecies vary - some have higher yields, some have better disease resistance, and some produce beans larger than others. Below are three simple examples:

Geisha

Originating from Geisha Mountain in Ethiopia, Geisha belongs to the Typica family. It has won multiple international specialty coffee cupping championships, with its bidding price reaching $130 per pound in 2007.

Caturra

Caturra is a genetic variant of Bourbon with better yield and disease resistance. Most importantly, it has extremely strong adaptability and doesn't require shade trees, commonly known as Sun Coffee.

Maragogype

Maragogype is a variant of Typica, with beans at least three times larger than regular Arabica beans, making it the world's largest, hence its name.

Caramelization Reaction and Maillard Reaction

The caramelization reaction occurs in the presence of sucrose. When sucrose is heated and decomposes into monosaccharides, which continue to be heated, dark brown aggregates form, producing aromatic substances such as ethyl acetate and furan. It can be said that the two types of scorching phenomena produced by Maillard reaction and caramelization reaction may appear similar on the surface, but are essentially completely different, especially in terms of aroma. Proper caramelization typically produces several distinct aromas: sherry-like alcohol and acetaldehyde notes, creamy diacetyl, nutty furan, maltitol with roasted notes, and more.

Knowledge Expansion

The Maillard reaction is quite famous and covers many food transformations. Its principle is: when sugars encounter amino acids or proteins, due to high temperatures, these two substances undergo condensation, forming melanoid-like polymers that turn food brown and produce substances like thiamines and phospholipids, releasing aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mission

In summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research establishment dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to provide the best coffee at the lowest prices to more friends. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

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